Bersih has slammed the Election Commission's (EC) assertion that the 42,051 dubious voters amount to only 0.3 percent of the electoral roll, saying this would have led to a different outcome in the 2008 polls in Selangor.

bersih announcing 3rd rally 040412 wong chin huat "Small numbers of votes can make a big difference but the EC is downplaying this," steering committee member Wong Chin Huat (left) told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

"The EC does not reveal this situation but instead gives half-truths and inaccurate facts.”

For instance, he said, it would have taken only 10,158 votes to swing nine of the most marginal seats won by Pakatan Rakyat to BN in Selangor in 2008.

This would have allowed BN to maintain power with 29 seats to Pakatan's 27 seats, said Wong, who is a political scientist.

Pakatan had won Selangor with 36 seats to BN's 20 seats..

More pressing, is that the 0.3 percent would have been enough for the BN to regain power in Selangor with a bigger majority.

Again based on the 2008 results, he said 41,459 votes would have swung the 19 most marginal seats won by Pakatan to BN - leading to 39 seats for BN and 17 for Pakatan.

At federal level, meanwhile, it would have taken just 41,653 votes to swing 25 of the most marginal parliamentary seats won by BN to Pakatan.

BN now has 137 seats in Parliament while Pakatan holds 75 and the remaining 10 are held by PSM, SAPP and Independents.

'Letters sent to police, DBKL'

Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan said Bersih had submitted letters to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters and to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), in relation to the Bersih 3.0 sit-in scheduled for April 28 at Dataran Merdeka.

"We sent (the letters) yesterday evening and we would expect that they will receive it by today," she said.

Both the police and DBKL have not commented on whether Bersih will be allowed to use the venue, instead calling on the coalition to engage them first.